Dumbledore and Grindelwald: the story behind the Famous Duel
Hey everybody,
A long time ago, when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) had just been released, I promised you guys something: I would write a blog explaining some Harry Potter history about Gellert Grindelwald. Needless to say it took me a bit longer then expected. The story between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald isn't really explained in the Harry Potter franchise, but if you've read the books, you'll know more about it. This blog is for those of you who haven't read the books and wish to know more.
The Dumbledore family
The Dumbledore family, like the Potters, lived in Godrics Hollow. They moved their after father Percival was sent to Azkaban for attacking three Muggle boys who attacked his daughter Ariana. There was much speculation in the Wizarding World about Ariana, since she was rarely seen and many thought she was a Squib, a non-magical person born from magical parents. The truth is however different: she was a Witch and was attacked by those boys because she was practicing her powers. Her father drove them away but the attack left a huge mark on her. She could no longer fully control her magical abilities and became unstable. When she was fourteen years old she caused an explosion which killed her mother Kendra. Albus became her guardian, but wasn't very good at this job: she was killed in a duel between Albus, Gellert and her second brother Aberforth.
The Greater Good
It was in the summer of 1899 that a young Gellert Grindelwald moved to Godrics Hollow to live with his great-aunt. Grindelwald was an ambitious young wizard who had previously been expelled from Durmstrang. In Godrics Hollow he met and befriended Albus. They were both young and had a lot in common: they shared the same interest in the Deathly Hallows. Together they wanted to go on a search to find the three objects that could make them Masters of Death. Their idea was to change the world so that the Wizarding World no longer needed to be kept hidden. They would create a new order: wizards and witches would rain supreme over Muggles. Their motivations where however different. Albus wanted the power to protect his loved ones, but Grindelwald wanted the power to dominate Muggles and to see the glory of wizards return.
The Famous Duel
The only one who saw and dared to say that their plan was madness, was Albus's brother Aberforth. He confronted the two and stated that Albus couldn't leave because he was needed to protect his sister. Grindelwald got mad and the three got into a duel with catastrophic concequences: Ariana got hit by a spell and died. Grindelwald fled and Albus turned mad with grief and guilt.
Grindelwald continued with his quest and at the height of his powers there was only one man who could stop him: his former friend Albus Dumbledore. In 1945 they got into a Famous Duel unlike anything the Wizarding World had ever seen. Some stated that it lasted three hours, but in the end Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald.
The Elder Wand
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows we learn Harry's connection to the story. Harry finds out that Voldemort is searching for a man who turns out to be Gregorovitch, a wandmaker. Voldemort thinks Gregorovitch has the Elder Wand, but the wandmaker tells him the Elder Wand was stolen from him by a young man. Harry learns that this young man was none other then Grindelwald himself. Grindelwald was the owner of the Elder Wand at the time of his Famous Duel with Dumbledore, so Albus became the owner of the Elder Wand after the duel.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Now I will discuss the connection between Grindelwald's story and his appearance in Fantastic Beast. Be aware: there will be some SPOILERS for the movie so if you haven't seen it, stop reading now.
Fantastic Beasts is set in 1926, 19 years before the Famous Duel. Grindelwald is not only searching for power in the movie, he is also trying to reach his new order. He wants wizards and witches to stop hiding, and for the Wizarding World to reveal itself. The next four movies will follow Grindelwald's story and J.K. Rowling has revealed that the final film will end with the Famous Duel between him and Dumbledore. In the movie he disguises himself as Percival Graves and in the end admits to have set the Obscurus free to expose the magical community.
There are some rumors, and this is just speculation, that Ariana herself was an Obscurus. The rumor also states that the Obscurus seen in the movie is the same Obscurus that took hold of Ariana. Grindelwald probably got his hands on this Obscurus after Ariana's death, but nothing of this has been confirmed yet.
So what did you think of this story? I hope that you now will have a better understanding of the story. Let me know what you think, do you think the rumor can be true?
MovieManouk
A long time ago, when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) had just been released, I promised you guys something: I would write a blog explaining some Harry Potter history about Gellert Grindelwald. Needless to say it took me a bit longer then expected. The story between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald isn't really explained in the Harry Potter franchise, but if you've read the books, you'll know more about it. This blog is for those of you who haven't read the books and wish to know more.
The Dumbledore family
The Dumbledore family, like the Potters, lived in Godrics Hollow. They moved their after father Percival was sent to Azkaban for attacking three Muggle boys who attacked his daughter Ariana. There was much speculation in the Wizarding World about Ariana, since she was rarely seen and many thought she was a Squib, a non-magical person born from magical parents. The truth is however different: she was a Witch and was attacked by those boys because she was practicing her powers. Her father drove them away but the attack left a huge mark on her. She could no longer fully control her magical abilities and became unstable. When she was fourteen years old she caused an explosion which killed her mother Kendra. Albus became her guardian, but wasn't very good at this job: she was killed in a duel between Albus, Gellert and her second brother Aberforth.
The Greater Good
It was in the summer of 1899 that a young Gellert Grindelwald moved to Godrics Hollow to live with his great-aunt. Grindelwald was an ambitious young wizard who had previously been expelled from Durmstrang. In Godrics Hollow he met and befriended Albus. They were both young and had a lot in common: they shared the same interest in the Deathly Hallows. Together they wanted to go on a search to find the three objects that could make them Masters of Death. Their idea was to change the world so that the Wizarding World no longer needed to be kept hidden. They would create a new order: wizards and witches would rain supreme over Muggles. Their motivations where however different. Albus wanted the power to protect his loved ones, but Grindelwald wanted the power to dominate Muggles and to see the glory of wizards return.The Famous Duel
The only one who saw and dared to say that their plan was madness, was Albus's brother Aberforth. He confronted the two and stated that Albus couldn't leave because he was needed to protect his sister. Grindelwald got mad and the three got into a duel with catastrophic concequences: Ariana got hit by a spell and died. Grindelwald fled and Albus turned mad with grief and guilt.
Grindelwald continued with his quest and at the height of his powers there was only one man who could stop him: his former friend Albus Dumbledore. In 1945 they got into a Famous Duel unlike anything the Wizarding World had ever seen. Some stated that it lasted three hours, but in the end Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald.
The Elder Wand
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows we learn Harry's connection to the story. Harry finds out that Voldemort is searching for a man who turns out to be Gregorovitch, a wandmaker. Voldemort thinks Gregorovitch has the Elder Wand, but the wandmaker tells him the Elder Wand was stolen from him by a young man. Harry learns that this young man was none other then Grindelwald himself. Grindelwald was the owner of the Elder Wand at the time of his Famous Duel with Dumbledore, so Albus became the owner of the Elder Wand after the duel.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Now I will discuss the connection between Grindelwald's story and his appearance in Fantastic Beast. Be aware: there will be some SPOILERS for the movie so if you haven't seen it, stop reading now.
Fantastic Beasts is set in 1926, 19 years before the Famous Duel. Grindelwald is not only searching for power in the movie, he is also trying to reach his new order. He wants wizards and witches to stop hiding, and for the Wizarding World to reveal itself. The next four movies will follow Grindelwald's story and J.K. Rowling has revealed that the final film will end with the Famous Duel between him and Dumbledore. In the movie he disguises himself as Percival Graves and in the end admits to have set the Obscurus free to expose the magical community.
There are some rumors, and this is just speculation, that Ariana herself was an Obscurus. The rumor also states that the Obscurus seen in the movie is the same Obscurus that took hold of Ariana. Grindelwald probably got his hands on this Obscurus after Ariana's death, but nothing of this has been confirmed yet.
So what did you think of this story? I hope that you now will have a better understanding of the story. Let me know what you think, do you think the rumor can be true?
MovieManouk
Sweet description.
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